Day 6 in Oregon

Day 6 – New Year’s Eve began on the chilly side, but no rain. Plans were for Karl and Roy to try and catch a fish or two on the last day of the tournament. Weather conditions were favorable for achieving this goal.

Because of a noonish tide change, fishing in the bay would have to wait until then. Another trip to Empire Lake for one last attempt at a bigger trout would fill the morning hours. Off we went to the lake!

The Empire Lakes are part of John Topits Park in North Bend. In addition to fishing, they have several paved walking trails around the lakes. Camera in one hand and leashed dogs in the other, I took a morning stroll.

 Karl on Empire Lake

One of the nice things about having our camper is the ability to be “at home” just about anywhere, even in a parking lot. Upon returning from my walk, I turned on our propane furnace to take off the chill inside the camper and then relaxed for an hour or so with a book while the dogs napped on the bunk.

Sitting there, I got to thinking about the problems with the kayak on the camper roof. I decided to go in search of a rack system that would safely and easily carry it. Roy previously recommended Sunset Sports in North Bend and after a minor detour through a residential neighborhood, I was able to find the store. Combined with a moving sale they were having along with no sales tax in Oregon, I picked up a nice Yakima track and rack system for a very reasonable price. Installation would have to wait until we got home. Then it was time for me to head back to the lake.

The guys returned to shore with news that Karl at least had increased his point total for the fishing tournament. We went back to Roy’s house so the guys could set up for saltwater fishing. I fixed sandwiches while Karl prepped for the afternoon’s fun.

The put-in spot was the boat ramp in Charleston harbor. Following their launching of the kayaks, it was up to me to find a site for the night at Sunset Bay State Park. But first…I was going to drive out to Cape Arago State Park.

There are three state parks in row at the end of Cape Arago highway. First is Sunset Bay where the campground is located, then Shore Acres and finally Cape Arago where the road ends. Since I knew Shore Acres required a fee to visit and I didn’t want to go without Karl, I opted to visit Cape Arago instead.

I pulled into a small viewpoint area between Sunset Bay and Shore Acres parks and saw the Cape Arago Lighthouse. It was kind of confusing because the lighthouse was north along the coastline, yet Cape Arago State Park was to the south of me. 

Cape Arago Lighthouse

Cape Arago State Park is a quiet park. No buildings to go tour. Just some hiking trails down to a couple of coves and tide pools. I leashed up the dogs and took a short walk along the top of the cliffs. I also spent a few minutes whale watching – still nothing sighted.

On the drive back to Sunset Bay, I stopped at the Simpson Reef overlook. I was drawn closer to the edge by the sounds of barking. Sure enough, there were two groups of sea lions on the rocky areas exposed by the low tide. You can also do whale watching from this overlook, but my eyes were focused on the sea lions and then the crashing waves along the many rocks protruding from the ocean floor.

 Sea Lions at Simpson Reef

 Crashing Waves

I needed to find a campsite so off I went to Sunset Bay and site A-8. 

 Our Site at Sunset Bay State Park

I put the leashes back on the dogs and went exploring around the park. The bay itself is on the other side of the Cape Arago Highway. There was a pedestrian underpass through a large culvert but it was flooded with about six inches deep of water. The stream next to it had gone over its banks from the recent heavy rains. 

We crossed the road as quickly as we could but I wished the underpass had been available. There was not much walking room along the road, especially with two dogs in tow. We safely made it to the beach area and played around before heading back to camp. 

 View From the Beach at Sunset Bay

Karl and Roy arrived a few hours later with the news that they both caught fish and further increased their standings. Roy was now in second place! We thanked Roy for his hospitality and sharing in the fishing experience before he left to get home to his dogs.

I fixed a quick dinner and afterwards Karl got another campfire going. Wouldn’t you know it…it started raining! What the heck?! We decided to put on our rain gear and sit around the fire pit any way. Karl was able to keep the fire going, even as the rain came down harder. It was a very memorable evening. We didn’t stay awake until midnight to ring in the New Year, nevertheless we enjoyed ourselves. It was the second year in a row we spent New Year’s Eve in our camper (last year was in Barstow, California in a Wal-Mart parking lot).

Tomorrow we would start our drive home to Washington.

Remember Whensday No. 19 - Here Fishy, Fishy

This week it is Josh & Ryan in the spotlight from Oct 1991. Both boys loved to fish with their dad and of course their dad was happy to oblige.

I wish I knew more about these pictures but unfortunately do not. But it is still fun to share pics of the boys.

Josh

Ryan

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My World Tuesday #47 - The Pinks Are In

Pink salmon are returning to spawn in our local rivers including the Stillaguamish, Skagit and Snohomish Rivers. The males develop a large hump during their spawning run which gives the pinks the nickname of "humpies". Pinks are so named because of the pink color of their flesh. They are also the smallest of the true salmons with the average size being 3-5 lbs although some can get up to around 12 lbs. They have a two-year life-cycle before returning to spawn and in Washington, the spawning runs only occur in odd-numbered years.

Many people consider pinks to be less desirable for eating. We generally will eat fresh pink salmon on the day it is caught and then smoke any remaining filets. Karl makes outstanding smoked salmon. This year we might try to can some of the smoked fish rather than freezing it. We've never done it before but have been told it is very good packaged that way.

This year looks to be a good run for the pinks. We've had some years in the past where the pink season didn't open due to low numbers of returning salmon.

I drove up to Mount Vernon along the Skagit River to check out the fishing action. There was plenty of activity and I even saw a pink being hauled into one of the many boats on the river.

Ready - Aim - Launch!

One Lucky Fisherman

Fishing for pinks in can be a challenge since you are required to use barb-less hooks and live bait is not permitted. Buzz bombs and pink jigs are popular gear for catching the pinks. If you enlarge the picture above, you can see a pink jig in the fish's mouth.

Oh so close, only to lose it

Lined Up Along the Skagit

The Stillaguamish River will open for pink salmon fishing on September 1st. Karl already has the day off from work to go fishing.

"Leaper" by Tom Jay (2003)
Sculpture of Salmon (Not a Pink) in Mount Vernon's Edgewater Park to honor the salmon that spawn in the Skagit River

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Remember Whensday No. 4 - Karl & the Trout

This week, I've got another picture of Karl, this time from June 1983.

He was camping at Diamond Lake in Oregon with his family including his brother-in-law, Tim, and father-in-law.

Apparently it was just your average camping trip. Nothing special to recall except they also fished the Umpqua River and Tim, who was about 10 years old at the time, caught a nice river trout.

Karl and his Trout Catch

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Remember Whensday No. 2 - Karl & the Snapper

Karl served 4 years in the Coast Guard and was stationed on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Citrus based in Coos Bay, OR.

In this photo, his ship was at anchor somewhere along the Oregon coast. When Karl wasn't on duty, he was allowed to fish from the ship. This is a snapper that he caught and was later served on the Mess Deck.

Karl on board the USCGC Citrus

June 6, 1981

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The Mighty Fisherman

Karl went fishing with a fellow kayak angler for "dinos" last Friday. That's a code word that I'm not allowed to say what it means. Just in case someone Googles the fish name, I guess they don't want other fishermen in on their secret find.

Karl had "fish on!" twice. The first one was not a keeper since it was over the slot limit (38"-54"). He estimated it was around 80" long. Luckily the fish got off the hook on its own.

The second dino, shown below, was a legal fish coming in at 44" long. Don't ask me how much it weighed because I haven't a clue.

It's a Keeper!

Karl said it was quite a challenge landing this dino while sitting in his kayak. It's a big and heavy fish, plus you are sitting low to the water and in an awkward position to try and hoist it in. After a couple of attempts, he got it in the yak.

A Good Reason to Smile

The dino was a good addition to his Angler of the Year points total. And this was the biggest fish he's caught so far in the 'yak. Go Karl!

I'm just glad I didn't have to clean it.

Fishing Fun Day Sunday

We had a beautiful day in the Northwest today. Afternoon temps were 48 F and the sun was shining. Hard to believe it is still the middle of winter.

Karl met up with some kayaking fishing buddies at Lake Goodwin this morning. We had worked it out so I would bring over the goodies for grilling burgers around noon.

I had to turn around halfway to the park and go back to the grocery store because I brought just about every BUT the burgers. They were at home in the freezer. DUH!

Jelly & Buddy went along since the weather was so nice. I think they enjoyed themselves although most of the time they were on their leashes. Gotta keep them safe.

Chef Karl Grilling Up Burgers

After lunch, I walked down to the lake where several strands of floats were lined up along the beach. I decided to snap a few pics since they looked so neat with the sun shining on them.



Then I came home with the dogs and ended up taking a long nap. I hope I can sleep tonight!

Karl didn't catch any fish today (or yesterday either), but still had a good time out on the lake. If every cast hooked a fish, it wouldn't be called fishing. I think two straight days of kayaking wore him out since he fell asleep just after 8 p.m.


I hope you enjoyed your Sunday.